10th - 13th August 2020

Thursday, 13th August: A very warm and muggy morning, mostly grey with a bit of sunshine and barely a breathe of breeze..........

Selsey Bill: Another quiet morning! (RP/SR/AH/MO-W/IP)
(0630-0800hrs) (N, F1)
Gannet - 3W
Common Scoter - 1E
Oystercatcher - 2W
Turnstone - 14
Sandwich Tern - 2W
Swallow - 1W
House Martin - 6
Pied Wagtail - 1W

Turnstone at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The two Wood Sandpipers were still on the pool this morning, along with two Greenshanks, three Common Sandpipers, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, six Shelducks and c40 Teal, whilst a Kingfisher whizzed through and a Whimbrel was in the channel opposite. (AH/IP) 

Whimbrel (above) & Common Sandpiper around the Ferry (AH)

Northcommon Farm: A Pied Flycatcher - presumably yesterday's bird - was still around 'West Sands'. (MR)

It was still present this evening, along with a few Willow Warblers, whilst a Buzzard showed well, too. (SH)

Buzzard at Northcommon Farm (SH)

Church Norton: This morning there were at least 12 Whimbrels, 100 Dunlin and 30 Ringed Plovers in the harbour, along with a Greenshank, a Knot, two Common Sandpipers, a Common Gull, a Little Tern and four Sandwich Terns. Also, two Little Egrets were displaying their plumes. (AW)

Little Tern (above), Knot and Sandwich Terns, Knot, Redshank & Little Egret at Church Norton (AW)

North Wall: The water level in the Breech Pool is now very low and there were a few waders present this morning, including four Spotted Redshanks, two Greenshanks, c25 Black-tailed Godwits and a dozen or so Redshanks and Lapwings, whilst another 60 of the latter flew into the harbour from the fields. 

The reeds were full of Sedge Warblers and the odd Reed Warbler, and the hedgerows contained a number of Whitethroats, whilst a Tree Pipit and a group of about eight Lesser Whitethroats were in the middle hedge at Halsey's Farm and c20 Swallows were on the wires in Rookery Lane. 

A Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Kestrel were at the Halsey's Farm end of the wall, with four Whimbrel in the fields by Owl Point and Kingfishers were at Owl Copse and the Bremere sluice, while Whites Creek held 120 Redshank, about 20 Black-tailed Godwits and a Greenshank. 

Also, at least eight Cattle Egrets and similar of Little Egrets were spread between Owl Copse and the harbour. (IH/AH)

Tree Pipit (above), Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cattle Egret, Spotted Redshank, Greenshanks, Redshank and Lapwings & Swallows around the North Wall (AH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There were five juvenile Corn Buntings, a juvenile Reed Bunting and a juvenile Skylark along the banks, along with single Swift and Swallow over, but otherwise it was very quiet except for the ever-growing Canada Goose flock - estimated at 450, plus the odd white bird - flying into the big stubble field. (AH)

Corn Buntings (above), Reed Bunting, Swift & Canada Geese at Medmerry (AH)

Wednesday, 12th August: Another very warm and sunny morning, though with a moderate south-easterly breeze..........

Selsey Bill: It was a quiet morning, though a Sparrowhawk sat on a roof was unusual. (SR/RP/AH/IP)

(0630-0800hrs) (SE, F2-3)

Great Crested Grebe - 3E

Gannet - 1E, 1W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 1

Turnstone - 6E, 6W

Common Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 3E, 2W

Green Woodpecker - 1

Swallow - 2W

House Martin - 2

Pied Wagtail - 1

Willow Warbler - 2

Sparrowhawk (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The two Wood Sandpipers were again present this morning, along with a Green Sandpiper, a Greenshank and three Common Sandpipers, with another of the latter, plus a Whimbrel in the channel opposite. There were also 18 Black-tailed Godwits, six Shelduck and c25 Teal present. (AH/MO-W/IP/CG/RP)
Also, there c800 hirundines on the power lines towards the sewage works. (A&YF)

Wood Sandpipers (above), Wood Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper (AH) & Green Sandpiper (RP) around the Ferry 

Northcommon Farm: A Pied Flycatcher was in the 'Flycatcher Corner' area this morning, with a Willow Warbler nearby, whilst two Spotted Flycatchers and three more Willow Warblers were in the hedges beyond the circus and near the farm. (AH/OM)

Pied Flycatcher at Northcommon Farm (AH) and (lowest) Spotted Flycatcher (OM)

Church Norton: It was very quiet here, with a couple of Blackcaps and c20 Swallows the only passerines of note, whilst in the harbour there were up to five Whimbrels, 20 Curlews, c40 Ringed Plovers and 100+ Dunlin out on the mud. (AH)

Whimbrel (above), Blackcap & Swallows at Church Norton (AH)

Later on, a Marsh Harrier went over Greenlease Farm, heading for the Severals and there were single Little and Sandwich Terns in the harbour. (AW)

Marsh Harrier over Church Norton (AW)

This evening six Sandwich Terns were the only birds of note in the harbour at high tide, whilst a mixed flock of c50 Swallows and half a dozen each of Sand and House Martins were repeatedly settling on the dead-tree at the end of the churchyard, often seeing off the Greenfinches and Goldfinches that also wanted to use it. (AH)

Sand Martins, Swallows and House Martins at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: Early on, a brief visit to the Breech Pool produced four Spotted Redshanks, 20 Common Redshanks, three Greenshanks, 25 Black-tailed Godwits, a single Dunlin, a Snipe, several Lapwings and 30 Teal. 

A few Sedge and Reed Warblers were still active around the reed-beds, whilst three Willow Warblers were in the hedges. (OM)

Later on, a Marsh Harrier went over, upsetting all the waders in White's Creek, whilst a Yellow Wagtail and two Wheatears were along the wall. 

Also, a Great Crested Grebe and two Lapwings in White's Creek and 21 Canada Geese flew from the Breech Pool into the harbour. (GHi)

This evening there were 11 Greenshanks and four Spotted Redshanks on the Breech Pool, with two Wheatears along the wall. (CN)

Yellow Wagtail (above), Marsh Harrier, Wheatear & Great Crested Grebe at the north Wall (GHi)

East side: Along Whites Creek and the East side were another five Greenshanks, plus a handful of Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plovers and plenty more Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was out on the mudflats, and two Little Terns were fishing, but overall it was rather quiet. (OM)

 Greenshanks and Yellow-legged Gull along the East side (OM)

Ivy Lake: Two male and a female Lesser Emperor (dragonflies) were on Deep Lake this morning. There was a good variety of other odonata present, too, including 50 Small Red-eyed Damselflies, a few Red-eyed and plenty of Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, three Common Darters, two Brown Hawkers and an Emperor dragonfly. (AB)

Lesser Emperors at Ivy Lake (AB)

West Itchenor: An adult Yellow-legged Gull and many hundreds of Mediterranean Gulls were among the many gulls - possibly as many as 5000 in total, mainly Herring and Black-headed - on the cut sweetcorn field just west of the harbour office. (PH)

Fishbourne Creek: This morning on the falling tide, between Fishbourne and the Lavant Outfall, held 71 Mute Swan, eight Greenshanks, two Whimbrel in amongst the many Curlew, ten Grey Plovers in a range of plumages (my first of the season here), five Lapwings and three Black-tailed Godwits.  

All the common gull species were present, too, including about ten Mediterranean Gulls. (RW)

Medmerry: Easton lane to Stilt pool -  Along the banks there were  a Grey Partridge, a Yellow Wagtail, three Wheatears, four Whitethroats, two Corn Buntings, nine Yellowhammers, a Reed Bunting and a Meadow Pipit, with a Buzzard and 30+ Swallows and Sand Martins over.

A Whimbrel and eight Black-tailed Godwits were near the poplars, whilst two Green Sandpipers were nearby, but the stilt Pool only held four Common Sandpipers and a Snipe of note. (S&SaH)

Tuesday, 11th August: An almost breezeless and very hot morning after a slightly misty start..........

Selsey Bill: It was generally quiet, though a few more Sandwich Terns than yesterday were about, along with 25 House Martins and a Swift, plus a juvenile Green Woodpecker which twice thought about heading out to sea before retreating inland. Full log below. (SR/MO-W/AH/IP/RP)
(0645-0800hrs) (N, F1)
Gannet - 2E

Grey Heron - 1W

Oystercatcher - 1E, 2W

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 8W

Swift - 1 

Green Woodpecker - 1

House Martin - 25

Pied Wagtail - 2W

Willow Warbler - 1

House Martin (above), Swift, Green Woodpecker & Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Wood Sandpiper was still present this morning, along with three Common Sandpipers and two Greenshank, with two more of the latter in the channel opposite, whilst there were also 22 Black-tailed Godwit, eight Lapwing, six Shelducks ,c25 Teal and two Grey Herons present.
A Pied Flycatcher was reported in the Discovery Area (MRE), whilst around the Tramway there were a Yellowhammer, a Garden Warbler, one or two Blackcaps and Willow Warblers and 20+ Whitethroats. Also, there were several Reed and Sedge Warblers in Red Barn Ditch and a Wheatear was at the back of the Ferry. (AH/MO-W/KJ/HR/DMe/RP et al)

This evening there were two Wood Sandpipers at the back of the Pool. (AT/AW)

Wood Sandpiper (above), Common Sandpiper, Greenshanks, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat  (AH) & Grey Heron (RP) around the Ferry 

North Wall: A Grey Wagtail, a Greenshank and a Kingfisher were in White's Creek this morning while 22 Cattle Egrets and two Little Egrets were in a field near Halsey's Farm. 
The Breech Pool held five Spotted Redshanks, a dozen Common Redshanks, 23 Black-tailed Godwits, a Snipe, a Dunlin, about ten Teal and three Grey Herons, while the hedgerows contained a flock of Long-tailed Tits, four Greenfinches and a few Willow Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings. (IH/TG)
Later, there were six Cattle Egrets and two Kestrels at Halsey's farm and a Kingfisher in the sluice there. (AT)

Church Norton: Two Spotted Flycatchers, a pair of Blackcaps and a Swallow were behind the hide this morning, whilst a Little Tern and three Sandwich Terns, plus a Pied Wagtail, were around the harbour (KJ/RP/AW et al)

Spotted Flycatcher and Whitethroat (RP) (above), Spotted Flycatcher & Pied Wagtail (AW) at Church Norton

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt pools - This morning there were at least six Wheatears on posts opposite Marsh Barn, a Yellow Wagtail in the same general area and several Whitethroats and Blackcaps. (P&JW) 

Later, two Green Sandpipers and a Wheatear were on the Stilt Pool. (AT)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There was an unconfirmed report (per RBA, 1223hrs) of a Cirl Bunting seen by a visiting birder at around 0900hrs. There are no known images to our knowledge and of course a rarities report will be required for acceptance, but we have no further information. 

A number of birders visited the area later, but drew a blank, so we await developments.(Eds) Three Wheatears, a Whinchat, a Stonechat, a Yellowhammer and several Corn Buntings were later found, (IP/BI/ et al)

This evening there was a pre-roost gathering of at least 12 Corn Buntings around the Ham Viewpoint, though not too much else along the banks beyond a family of Stonechats and a family of Whitethroats, whilst a Marsh Harrier and c20 Swallows went over west. (AH)

Marsh Harrier (above), Corn Buntings, Whitethroat & Stonechat at Medmerry (AH)

Monday, 10th August: The spell of very warm weather continues, though it was a little hazier this morning in the moderate (and welcome!) north-easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: A Tree Pipit went over, heard but unseen, and a few Swallows and Pied Wagtails went east, whilst two Wheatears were in Bill House garden, but just three Sandwich Terns were seen. Full log below. (IP/MO-W/AH/OM)
(0640-0810hrs) (NE, F4)

Gannet - 17E, 4W

Common Scoter - 2W

Turnstone - 22

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 1W

Swallow - 16E

Sand Marin - 1E

House Martin - 1E

Tree Pipit - 1N

Pied Wagtail - 9E

Wheatear - 2

Pied Wagtail (above) & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was a nice mix of waders on the pool early on, including the Wood Sandpiper, three Green Sandpipers, three Common Sandpipers and four Greenshank, along with half a dozen Lapwing and 18 Black-tailed Godwits, plus the usual handful of Shelducks and 20+ Teal.

Later, two Whimbrel were off the Tramway, but the bushes were quiet beyond a handful of Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps. (MO-W/AH/OM)

The Woos Sandpiper was absent for some of the day, but was present again, along with a Common Sandpiper, this evening. (AW)

Wood Sandpiper and Teal (above) (OM), Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper (below), Greenshanks, Greenshanks and Teal, Whimbrel & Lesser Whitethroat around the Ferry (AH)

Apologies for this over-cropped enlarged image, but this Black-headed Gull (centre) on the Ferry pool today was wearing a ring-type combination not previously encountered....could it even be a geolocator? Any info or other sightings - especially if any details are readable (if present) would be much appreciated. (OM)

Northcommon Farm: Three Spotted Flycatchers were together in the back hedgerow at Flycatcher corner, though it was otherwise generally quiet and a circuit of the fields added only a Willow Warbler, 12 Swallows, 30 Goldfinch and a Green Woodpecker. (OM)

 Spotted Flycatcher (juv) at Northcommon Farm (OM)

Warner Lane paddocks: A Wheatear and two Willow Warblers were the best on offer here. (OM)

Wheatear at Warner Lane paddocks (OM)

Ivy Lake: A Lesser Emperor dragonfly was on Deep Lake this afternoon (2nd pit on right from the B2145), whilst a Kingfisher, the family of Egyptian geese and several Common Terns were also around. (AB) The Lesser Emperor was still showing well this evening and the Kingfisher was fishing on the same lake. (BI)

North Wall: A Whinchat was in the reeds close to Welbourne Stables this morning, whilst in White's Creek there were a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, three Redshank and six Lapwings. 

It was a good morning for waders on the Breech Pool, with 68 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Redshank, four Spotted Redshank, two Greenshank, three Lapwing, two Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper present, along with a Little Egret, a Cattle Egret, nine Teal, a Cormorant and 15 Canada Geese. (JDW/IH)

Greenshank at the North Wall (JDW)

Church Norton: At least five Wheatears were along the concrete blocks and a dozen Swallows were around the hide, but, beyond a couple of Willow Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat and a few Linnets, the bushes were very quiet.
The harbour was fairly quiet, too, though there were a Greenshank, two Whimbrels, c30 Ringed Plovers and c100 Dunlin present, though there were no terns. (AH)

Wheatear (above), Linnet & Swallows at Church Norton (AH)